Neuchâtel, 11.05.2012 (FSO) – The Federal Council has commissioned the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) to develop indicators to complement the gross domestic product (GDP). This is because a comprehensive picture of developments in society, the economy and the environment cannot be provided by GDP alone. The FSO is carrying out the mandate in two phases. In the first phase, the results of which are being presented today by the FSO, existing statistical information is placed in the context of the economy or of society as a whole. This initial, rough compilation clearly shows that overall, Switzerland comes out quite well in terms of social, economic and ecological performance. Subsequently, the FSO will further develop and consolidate the indicator set and the results.
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Neuchâtel, 15.12.2011 (FSO) - Having children and a low level of education has a negative effect on the financial situation of private households. According to the Federal Statistical Office's (FSO) survey on income and living conditions (SILC), in 2010 a quarter of persons living in households with children could not afford to pay for an unforeseen expense of CHF 2000.
Neuchâtel, 02.12.2011 (FSO) - Persons with disabilities are less satisfied with their lives than the non-disabled population. The difference is particularly pronounced with regard to their health condition, financial situation, leisure time activities and life in general. The higher the level of disability, the greater the differences between people with and without disabilities. This applies not just to life satisfaction but also to most conditions of life that were examined.
Neuchâtel, 15.11.2011 (FSO) - According to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), the average disposable income of households in Switzerland was CHF 6650 per month in 2009. A large proportion of disposable income was spent on consumption: the CHF 1495 expended on housing and energy was the largest component of the household budget. Households spent about CHF 1185 (representing almost 13% of their budget) on food, beverages and restaurant meals. The amount households saved per month was, on average, CHF 1160 after deduction of all expenditures.
Neuchâtel, 13.12.2010 (FSO) - The survey on income and living conditions (SILC) has enabled, for the first time in Switzerland, a comprehensive study of living conditions, taking into consideration the notions of well-being and income distribution. In 2009, three out of four persons living in Switzerland said that they were very satisfied with their life. Nevertheless, 6.7% of the population is faced with serious material deprivation. The risk of poverty depends on the threshold used: according to the one used by the European Union, the at-risk-of-poverty rate is 14.6% in Switzerland, compared with 8.0% according to that of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Neuchâtel, 04.11.2010 (FSO) - A calculation of working poor rates for the years 2007 and 2008 by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) shows a decline from 4.8% to 3.8% in that period. This development is attributable to positive economic growth and a sharp decrease in unemployment in the years 2006 to 2008. The provisional results are based on an improved data base. For this reason, the updated rates are not comparable with those of earlier years.
Neuchâtel, 23.08.2010 (FSO) - For the first time since the 2006 revision, the publication of the 2008 results of the Household Budget Survey (HBS) facilitates an in-depth analysis of the budgets of private households in Switzerland. In fact, it is now possible to combine three survey years (2006, 2007 and 2008) to form a sufficiently large sample to study in detail the composition of the budgets of different population groups. Clear differences emerge depending on family situation and age. Thus, whereas spending on transport increases among families over time, it decreases among single persons and couples without children.
Neuchâtel, 27.11.2009 (FSO) - Less than 1% of the population cannot walk without assistance, while 26% report being slightly or severely limited in their usual activities. To mark the International Day of Disabled Persons (3 December), the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) is presenting a series of profiles of persons who are living at home and can be considered disabled based on different definitions. Older people as well as women are more affected by disability.
Neuchâtel, 03.09.2009 (FSO) - The occupational models in couple households show that the division of labour between partners is one of the solutions couples use to balance work and family. Switzerland, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium stand out for their high proportion of couple households in which the man is employed full-time and the woman part-time and the relatively low share of couples in which both partners are employed full-time. A couple's living situation changes fundamentally as soon as children live in the household. These are some of the results of a study published by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on reconciling work and family life in Switzerland and other European countries.
Neuchâtel, 13.07.2009 (FSO) - In 2007, private households spent an average of CHF 5,430 per month on consumer goods. Compared with the previous year, this represents an increase of approximately CHF 240. In particular, consumers spent more in comparison with the previous year on the categories housing, furnishings, travel, entertainment and recreation. The additional expenditure coincided with an increase in income. This was mainly due to an increase in income from employment. These are findings from the Household Budget Survey 2007 from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
Although the right to equal pay for work of equal value is enshrined in the federal constitution, equal pay for men and women is far from being achieved in Switzerland. The Federal Office for Gender Equality (FOGE), and the Federal Statistical Office have co-published a brochure which provides concise information on the progress made as well as continuing pay discrimination.
Neuchâtel, 07.04.2009 (FSO) - The social assistance and poverty statistics provide comprehensive information on the number and composition of households in financial difficulty. Both statistics deal with similar, but not identical social phenomena. The groups at risk are similar, but the level and extent of the difficulties are different. During the period under consideration (1990-2006), a trend towards an increase in the number of social assistance recipients can be observed, whereas the poverty rate is subject to fluctuations. Both social assistance and poverty rates are directly dependent on the unemployment situation and ? with a time lag ? ultimately on economic development. These are the findings from an in-depth analysis of data from the social assistance and poverty statistics, carried out by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
Neuchâtel, 01.12.2008 (FSO) - To mark the International Day of Disabled Persons on 3rd December, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) has published a first set of indicators on equality for disabled persons. This is the first time that indicators are being published by the FSO on the subject. Disabled persons are quite widely represented in the labour force but distinctly less than the rest of the population (64% compared to 84%) and worry more about losing their job. In Switzerland approximately one million persons live with a health problem which disables them to a greater or lesser degree.
Neuchâtel, 01.12.2008 (FSO) - To mark the International Volunteer Day on 5 December 2008, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) is publishing a brochure with the latest available key data for Switzerland. A comparison between 1997 and 2007 showed a decline in volunteers in the Swiss resident population, but structurally there was hardly any change. Voluntary work on behalf of associations and organisations declined from 27% to 24%; informal voluntary work based on individual initiative sank from 23% to 21%. There were big differences between the language regions and cantons.
Neuchâtel, 03.11.2008 (BFS) - Progress towards equality of women and men over the past two decades is evident in different areas: many more women are gainfully employed, their level of education is drawing increasingly closer to men's and they have gained entry into many political bodies. These findings are taken from a booklet published jointly by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) and the Federal Office for Gender Equality (FOGE) to mark the 20th anniversary of the FOGE.
